Freshly picked vegetables, when produced and harvested in commercial quantities, need to be cooled quickly and kept cool. As an example, table corn, or sweet corn, needs to be chilled immediately after harvesting, and must be kept below 50.degree. F. so that the sugar in the corn does not turn to starch. On the packing line, the ears of corn may be subjected to a chilled water spray before being packed in cartons. The cartons themselves do not have a completely covered top or bottom; that is, the flaps do not extend half way across the top and bottom, as they do with most other cartons. Instead, there is a rectangular open area at the top, and at the bottom. When a packed carton of corn is placed on a pallet, a mound of crushed ice may be placed over the open area at the top of each carton. The fully loaded pallet is then placed in a chilled warehouse to await shipment. In the warehouse, the ice gradually melts and flows down through each box, assisting in keeping the produce cool. The cartons are made of water-resistant material, such as waxed or plastic-coated cardboard or corrugated board, for example, so that the melting ice does not affect the structural integrity of the carton. In addition, the size of the cartons is such that the cartons, within each layer on the pallet, do not touch each other, but are spaced apart, so that the chilled air in the storage area may circulate between the cartons, thus keeping the product cold.
It is an object of this invention is to simplify and speed up the pallet loading process by providing for a one-time application of crushed ice to the top of the pallet load.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a more stable pallet load by eliminating the individual mounds of crushed ice on the top of each carton, and securing the top layer of cartons in their proper positions.